In our shared students discussion this morning, the science teacher brought up a very bright, kind of odd kid. He's in my advanced English class. He's from Romania, has a heavy accent, and sometimes struggles for words, but he's extremely smart and personable, and knows the bible "chapter and verse" as they say.
He came up because apparently she asked him what he was going to do after graduation. He replied that he wanted to go back to Romania and "separate the races." He apparently particularly felt that the gypsies were getting out of control, and their presence was bad for the nation.
Um.
We're not sure if he was so smart that he was putting her on and that was the most absurd deadpan humor I've ever heard or if he's both intelligent and really, really crazy. She's known the kid for over two years and thought he was sincere. I've only known him two months, but would be surrpised to learn that he was. I guess I'll have to wait to find out, because I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of pulling the kid aside and saying "Hey, Ms. G said you wanted to go back to Romania and separate the races. Were you f-ing with her or are you chock full o' nuts?"
4 comments:
Sadly probably not a put on. romania is set to join the EU next year and the UK has already decided to drastically limit the number of romanians who will be allowed in for low paying service and ag jobs. I was watching BBC World and they interviewed romanians in regards to this and they were mad saying that the UK probably thought all the Gypsies would comei n their dirty carts (direct quote) so may not be as off base as it seems.
Monkeygirl is correct. Look at it this way- many Europeans consider the Gypsies to be less than human, the same way African Americans were considered by the white majority in America not so long ago. Unfortunately the Gypsies do not have a Martin Luther King to further their cause. And to some degree the blame rests on the Gypsies themselves. A huge part of their culture dictates that they remain separate from the people who live in the villages/towns/cities that they roam in. They call themselves Roma, by the way. And they call everyone else who is not Roma "gadjo". Watch a movie called gadjo dilo. It's not fun though. Read a book called "Bury Me Standing". That's not really fun either.
dude- that was me. Meant to sign it, forgot.
Drummergirl.
Reason number 645 that I am a misanthrope. Although it would be a perfect lead up to Borat, which I cannot wait to see.
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